Jarvis Blackthorne
Jarvis Blackthorne was the son of Jason Blackthorne and his second wife Naria Loghain. He instigated and fought the First Blackthorne Civil War in order succeed his father and served as the Second Lord of House Blackthorne from 341AE until his death in 359AE. He is an extremely infamous and divisive figure in Aradian histories; it has been said that Jason created House Blackthorne but Jarvis was the one who truly defined it. His stewardship of the family was characterized by the foregrounding of capital gains, erosion of the rights of the lower classes, and an extreme intolerance towards the practice of sorcery. Jarvis married Kate, the eldest daughter of Garten Holloway, and with her had five children.The four eldest of these offspring met with early and unfortunate deaths, often as the result of their father's greed or intolerance. The youngest, Jacques, lived long enough to sire two sons. The older of these, Arthur Blackthorne (son of Jacques), would go on to succeed him as Lord. Appearance and Character Jarvis was a tall, lean, and strong; he looked to be every inch the formidable warrior that his reputation suggested, though he could hardly be called handsome. He had a shock of flyaway red hair that turned rusty-colored with age, coupled with a notably receded "widow's peak" hairline. His eyes were a pale grey, and protruding in their shape, giving him a wild look. A broad nose, lantern jawline and bushy eyebrows only served to accentuate Jarvis' distinctive appearance. From infancy onwards, he bore a puckered scar below his right eye. Poisoned from an early age by the influence of his mother and hardened by the disinterest the world showed in him, Jarvis spent most of his adult life fueled by sheer resentment. Soured against the core tenants of what had represented the House Blackthorne he grew up in, he made it his key mission in life to change the family's legacy into one that suited him. Jarvis loathed sorcery and High Elves and would lash out (often violently) at anything around him that reminded him of those things. The feeling of disenfranchisement he'd experienced in his childhood also made him insatiably greedy for wealth, power and influence. Skills and Abilities Jarvis was a skilled warrior, trained and knighted at the age of 17 under the mentorship of Lord Kavin Cogworth. While not remembered as one of the great legendary fighters of his family, Jarvis' skills with sword and lance were noteworthy, and he wielded his father's blade Redwing with distinction. He was an avid reader and a student of economics and commerce. His skills as a politician allowed him to implement his idea once he assumed Lordship. Though he is not remembered fondly, Jarvis was considered to be a great leader, a cunning tactician and charismatic leader for the Rebel faction. History Jarvis was born a second son to a second wife and would grow to be the second lord of his House. Coming in second place and the resentment that it can so often breed would prove to be a defining part of the infant's life, for he was to be the only son of the great Jason Blackthorne who could not wield magic. Records at the time describe Jason's attempt to introduce his son to a hatchling griffin, a common bonding ritual for young Stormlords. In an ill omen, the infant Jarvis attempted to push the creature away, causing it to peck him on the face creating a permanent scar. Many theorized that his mother's hatred for sorcery was so profound that it had stunted her son's powers in her womb; Naria Blackthorne had witnessed her brother Jarvis die to a High Elven prince when she was a child and had carried the resentment with her ever since, and many scholars agree that she ended up passing these sentiments to her son. Jarvis grew up in an environment where his elder brother Gawain was praised above him in all things, while he was greeted with only disinterest. A particular turning point came when his younger brother Jaster died in mysterious circumstances in 310AE. Eyewitnesses describe an argument that took place after this between Gawain and the 14-year-old Jarvis; the latter wanted to know why, if sorcery was so great and all powerful, they had failed to save Jaster. When Gawain could only offer platitudes that magic could not solve every single issue, Jarvis was quoted as replying; "then I shall find something that can." Jarvis did not have magic, but he did have material wealth. and it was that wealth he decided would be his solution. He began to trawl through the writings of western and mainland scholars, reading ancient prophecies, philosophies and histories. He learned how House Blackthorne gained its coin from the precious stones ripped from beneath its lands, and while still a young man, he began to adapt certain ideologies that would concentrate even more of this wealth towards the top echelons of society--and to himself. This, he decided, was a future to believe in, and a more prosperous direction than any griffin-riding sorceror could create. Alliances on the mainland would be important for trade, so he chose to wed the eldest daughter of the powerful Lord Garten Holloway. Kate, as she was named, would give him a son within the first year of their marriage in 317AE. Jarvis named the boy Jaster for the brother he'd lost. This gesture of affection was the last he ever showed the child, for it soon transpired that Jaster had a gift for sorcery. This drove his father to a rage every time it was mentioned or shown to him, and he became relentlessly cruel towards the boy. The small abuses he showed, the neglect and insults, became gradually more severe over time. In early 331AE, Jaster flung himself from the highest tower of Griffin's Peak and dashed onto the jagged rocks far below. He was only 12 years old. Rumors circulated that Jarvis had thrown him. Some scholars would, ominously, refer to the incident as the very first death penalty for Witchcraft in the West. Jason Blackthorne passed away peacefully in his sleep in 341AE. He was to be succeeded by his grandson, Gawain's only progeny Agravain. Only once his father was buried deep inside the vaults beneath Stormrise Isle did Jarvis and his mother make a sudden and surprising play. Agravain had been on the mainland when the news reached him, and he returned home to formally claim the title of Lord. However, he found the gates of Griffin's Peak barred, and a new banner over the battlements; the silver griffin on a black field. Jarvis appeared beside his new banner, telling his nephew that he had claimed his place as the more fitting candidate, supported in his actions by Lords Kavin Cogworth and Jason Rookwood. This coalition of usurpers would become known as the Rebels, or the Black Griffins for their chosen banner. What followed was the First Blackthorne Civil War, which lasted until Jarvis slew Agravain and his family in Everglow City in 349AE. Agravain had represented everything Jarvis had hated about his family; the younger man was a sorceror, a griffin rider, and an elf. With his nephew dead, Jarvis had free reign over the future of his family. He would go on to introduce aggressive sanctions against use of magic in the Thunderlands, claiming that it had halted industrial progress and only led to suffering within the sorcerous bloodlines. At first this was punishable only by exile or fine; however, as time went on and the sorcerors proved difficult to regulate, Jarvis began to use the death penalty. He used elaborate "trials" and propaganda to build public mistrust over the course of his reign, successfully turning public opinion against mages. At the same time, Jarvis changed a variety of tax and labor laws and bolstered trade deals with the mainland, effectively transforming his family into a merchant house. Jarvis' final edict was to destroy nearly all recorded histories of the Stormlords, leaving almost all knowledge of his forefathers lost to time and dooming them to be forever shrouded in mystery. Death and Legacy Jarvis collapsed after a meeting at the Everglow Senate in the winter of 359AE. He was rushed to an infirmary, where he was operated upon by several prominent healers, but died nevertheless. Those who operated on him refused to ever speak of the incident and seemed traumatized to even recollect it, save to say the injuries they found inflicted to their patient were of magical origin and that he died in extreme agony. Though 63 years of age, Lord Blackthorne had appeared to be in perfect health during the meeting. Over the course of his lordship he had put over 100 spellcasters to death in the West by drowning, hanging and burning; it can be speculated that any number of magical curses visited upon him may have taken effect at once to cause such a visceral reaction. Two of the Black Griffin's sons, Ector and Gordon, had died fighting for him in his Rebellion. His daughter Mallory had been wed to Lord Eustace Unferth in exchange for a plot of valuable land; she had died trying to birth an heir in 350AE. That left Jacques, the youngest of the brood, who had been wed to his brother's widow Hadriana Hassarath while aged only 14 in a desperate attempt to secure Jarvis' bloodline. While the couple had produced two sons, Jacques himself was unsatisfied with a bride 15 years his senior and often sought his pleasures at the House of Blossoms. It was there he caught a virulent pox off one of his favorite paramours; he died slowly and painfully(to the degree that it was speculated this may have been another curse), finally perishing in 352AE. He was the first Stormborn in history to die of a common illness, showing the price that losing their magic had wrought. And so it was Jacques' eldest son, Arthur, who followed Jarvis and became the third lord of House Blackthorne at the beginning of 360AE.Category:IronParagon's Characters